Clanless (34 page)

At last, she was a healer again.

Gryphon walked with his arm in a sling beside Ikatou as Joshua consumed all of Zo’s attention behind him. Joshua asked endless questions about the Allies and the new life ahead of him. Since Gryphon had spent the last two days holding Zo’s hand, sharing memories of their very different childhoods, and just being near her, he didn’t mind sharing her with the kid.

Looking over his shoulder to make sure Zo and Joshua were still close behind, he and Zo locked eyes. The side of her lip curled and they shared a moment as Joshua continued his litany of questions.

“What claim do you have over the girl?” Ikatou said, startling him out of his line of thought. Gryphon had nearly forgotten the large man beside him. “You’re too young to be considered her guardian.”

“She is my family,” said Gryphon.

“A sister? That’s impossible. You’re a Ram. She’s a Wolf.”

Gryphon smiled at the thought of being compared to Zo as a brother. If Ikatou looked between them for some sign of similarity, he wouldn’t find it. Zo was a Wolf and stunning, all long lines and grace. He was built like a boulder, with too much nose and temper.

Gryphon shook his head. “I’d do anything to keep her safe. We are not the same blood. But she
is
my family.”

“Would her father agree?” Ikatou raised an eyebrow.

Gryphon bristled. What right did this Bear have to question him? He had far less claim on Zo than even Gryphon had. “Her parents are gone from this world.”

Ikatou nodded. “How do I know you aren’t a spy sent by Barnabas to learn the location of the Allied Camp?”

Gryphon’s face burned hot. “Is that what this is about?”

“A lone Ram? A deserter? Your kind doesn’t leave the Gate without a purpose.”

“I had a purpose,” Gryphon snarled. The constant throb in his arm only added to his anger—a reminder of his losses. He was lucky he still had an arm after Zander’s strike.

“If you’re not a spy, why did you leave?”

He decided the simple truth was better than throwing his last good fist into the man’s face. He lowered his voice. “Because I’m in love with her.” He glanced back to see if Zo heard, but her attention was all for Joshua.

“She and the boy are all I have left.” His Adam’s apple leapt up and down.

Ikatou eyed Gryphon from the side. “If she were my daughter, I would kill you and not take the chance.”

“You could certainly try.” Gryphon’s good hand hovered over the hilt of his sword.

Ikatou shook his head and looked out across the horizon. They’d been walking downhill all day with a clear view of the lower portions of the mountain range. “It’s not my place to interfere.” They walked a few more steps. “But I’ve lived among Clanless men. I know what that honorless breed is like. She deserves more than a man without a banner.”

Gryphon had battled that same reasoning since he left the Gate. But having her here with him. Seeing her smile, as though some of the momentous weight that once sat upon her shoulders was lifted, feeling like he had something to do with that … it mattered. He mattered, to her and to Joshua.

“She is my clan now,” he said.

Ikatou narrowed his eyes. “If you hurt her, I swear on all the jewels of my homeland, I’ll kill you.”

“If I hurt her, I’ll deserve it.”

After evening meal, most of the men fell asleep around the fire. Zo, Gryphon, and Joshua sat awake watching the flames. The fire cast every angle of Gryphon’s face in a different light and shadow. His thoughts were completely lost to Zo, as unpredictable and blurred as the shadowed planes of his face. Light or shadow, Zo loved it all with such frightening adoration that it brought about as much agony as it did pleasure. Nothing in life lasted forever. The death of her parents taught her as much. The more a person gained, the more they had to lose.

Joshua threw a piece of bark into the fire; his eyes glued to the hypnotic movement of the flames. “Will the Allies like us?”

“People of the Allies are highly secretive. They won’t appreciate your presence.” Zo squeezed Gryphon’s good hand. “Not until they understand what you’ve done for them.” She looked up into his piercing gaze and melted. “What you’ve done for me.”

“And Gabe will be there too,” said Joshua, matter-of-factly.

Gryphon looked away and the moment soured into something different. Something forced. She waited a minute before pulling her hand free of Gryphon’s to throw another log on the already healthy fire. She folded her arms around her legs when she sat back down, considering Gabe and his betrayal.

“Will you take a walk with me?” she said to Gryphon.

“I’ll come.” Joshua hopped up and dusted leaves and grass from his pants. “Where are we going?”

Gryphon kept his expression guarded. He hadn’t moved from his position on the ground.

She looked away from the fire to hide her blush. “I actually need to speak with Gryphon.” She cleared her throat. “Alone.”

Despite his injury, Gryphon was standing almost before she had time to turn back and face them. She smiled, her cheeks even hotter than they were before, and reached for his good hand. “We won’t be long, Ginger.”

“I’ll just wait here, alone, by myself then,” Joshua grumbled as they headed into the darkness.

The moon above reminded Zo of the symbol of the Allies. Something growing, waxing, and beautiful. The small light it afforded made their walk perilous but also gave the stars a chance to really shine.

Zo didn’t immediately speak, didn’t trust herself to say what needed to be said without sounding like a complete fool. Gryphon cared for her, she knew that much, but did he crave her the way she did him?

“If you need time to sort things out with Gabe, I’ll understand.”

Zo’s head shot up and she tripped on a low hanging branch. Gryphon saved her from falling by wrapping his uninjured arm around her waist. She clung to him as he righted her, desperate to absorb his strength for just a little longer. She turned and looked up into his handsome face, past the gentle curve of his lips, until their eyes met. He cleared his throat and Zo turned back to the trail.

His hand supported her back as they made the semi-blind trek through the trees until the foliage opened up to a small sloped clearing just large enough for the two of them. Lemongrass carpeted the ground. The sweet aroma made Zo sigh with pleasure as they sunk to the earth. The ground slanted enough to make lying on their backs the perfect position to watch the stars.

“I don’t deserve this,” said Gryphon. He propped up his head with his good arm while his splinted arm rested on his stomach.

“Yes. You do,” said Zo. She held her breath, questioning her own bravery for a moment before scooting next to him and resting her head against his good shoulder. His arm came down around her before she had a moment to feel awkward.

Did Gryphon feel it too? The unwinding of all the hurt she’d ever endured. She was still so young—seventeen was hardly the time to think about choosing one man to be with forever—but she couldn’t help imagining what it might be like to belong to Gryphon. To have him belong to her in return. After a while she rolled onto her side. Her body pressed against his in delicious ways. “Gryphon?”

He watched her with a hunter’s attention. “Yes.” His voice caught as he spoke.

Zo brushed her cheek against his. Whiskers tickled her face.

Gryphon let go a long, shuttering breath. He glanced down at her lips then leaned in. His mouth hovered inches from hers, waiting for her to close the distance.

Zo pulled away. She’d brought him here for a reason. If she didn’t tell him now, it would only be harder later.

“Forgive me,” she whispered. The gold in his eyes reflected the stars. “For dragging you into all this. I’ve ruined your life.” She cupped his face in her hands and let her lips lightly brush against his. “I’m so sorry.”

She barely had time to say the words before his kiss silenced her. He pulled her closer, removing what little space existed between them. Zo’s hands slipped from his face and settled comfortably against his chest. Their lips moved against each other’s in a natural rhythm. She’d never kissed a man like that before. She didn’t know where her lips stopped and his began. One thing she did know is that when the heavens and earth were formed and man was created, at some point Gryphon’s lips were molded to fit hers.

Zo pulled away and dropped her head to rest in his neck. Her heart pounded in her ears.

“Zo?” Uncertainty laced Gryphon’s deep voice. “Is everything all right?”

But Zo wasn’t ready to look up into those eyes again.

“Is it Gabe? Is it too soon?”

At that Zo did raise her head. “Gabe is like a brother to me, Gryphon. I know you must hate him, and I’m ready to kill him myself, but he is still the closest thing I have to a family.”

“Did you just say
brother
?”

Her cheeks burned. She felt herself melting under the intensity of his gaze. He lifted her chin with his forefinger, studying her from under the hood of his dark brows. Whatever he saw in her expression gave him courage.

“If I promise not to kill Gabe, will you let me call you mine?”

“You don’t have to, you know.”

Gryphon’s brows shot up. “Excuse me?”

This is what she’d been hoping to communicate all night. “Gryphon, you’ve done so much for me. You’re selfless and brave and kind and … I don’t want you to feel like I’m your only option. We don’t have to be together for you to find a home with the Allies.”

A wide grin spread across Gryphon’s face. “Answer the question, Zo.” He reached up and gently knotted his hand in the hair at the nape of her neck. Possessive. Strong.

Zo couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever felt so blissfully content. Didn’t he know? Wasn’t it obvious? “Why ask for what you already have?”

Just in case words weren’t enough, she took his face in her hands and thoroughly, deliciously kissed him.

Gryphon woke to the feel of raindrops hitting his face. It wasn’t quite morning, and Zo lay tucked into his side, her head resting peacefully on his shoulder. They needed to get back to camp before Ikatou came looking for them.

I’ve lost myself to a Wolf.
He
let his head fall back against the grass and smiled. He couldn’t ever remember being so happy.

A brown flurry of movement a hundred yards away caught Gryphon’s eye. He stared out through the thick maze of pine trees, unblinking, but didn’t see the movement again. Was it an animal? It had seemed tall enough to be a bear. His gut clinched.
Not again
.

Careful to rest Zo’s head gently against the ground, Gryphon sat up, unhooked his wool cloak, and covered Zo to protect her from the rain. He paused to tuck a strand of her dark hair behind her ears and fought the desire to linger to watch her sleep.

He pulled a knife from the sheath above his ankle and turned back to face whatever beast threatened them, cursing his useless arm and hand, still bound in a sling. Raindrops rolled into his eyes and he blinked them away. The rain-soaked earth absorbed all sound as Gryphon moved so he could keep an eye on Zo, scanning the area where he last saw movement. He used the trees for cover, stepping quickly from one to the next. His teeth chattered, and his breath smoked the air.